Richard Hell & The Voidoids – “Blank Generation”
Richard Hell was “The” punk for me.
“Quintessential” is the fancy word they use, but I’ll just say he embodied all that meant punk to me at the time.
Which was rebellion, poetic truth, exciting energy and a nihilistic rejection of society and of life, itself. Along with a reckless, hedonistic lifestyle.
(And on a side note: The Voidoids lead guitarist was named, Bob Quine (essential)- one of my favorites!)
And sure, looking back there was a lot of negative energy. A lot of, “Who cares about anything but one’s personal pleasure? Who cares about society because they don’t care about me? I don’t care if I live, because life is not worth caring about.”
But there was also a lot of great, creative thoughts. Of defining oneself, ignoring the choices society gave you. A lot of adventurous, new, wild notions.
Hell has not worked in music for quite awhile but he has continued to be a writer/poet, which is what he was originally, before he made music.
And his band consisted of some great musicians who went on to work with The Ramones (Markey Ramone) and Lou Reed (Bob Quine).
And the music they created had punk energy, attitude and spirit coupled with some crazy, innovative free jazz.
And they happened to make, in my opinion, one of the very best records of the early punk era.
And this is where Andy and I spout nonsense.
Slimedog- This band, along with The Avengers, are my two favorite punk bands.
Andy- Ya I’m not big into Dick and his Doids but I read somewhere he was the catalyst for starting punk fashions.
Slimedog- True, Malcolm McClaren stole the safety pin on clothes from him, spikey hair originated from him. In fact, Malcolm offered Hell the lead singer position in The Sex Pistols until Johnny Rotten strolled by.
Andy- Just thinking, perhaps if he had joined The Pistols, Sid and Nancy might be alive today.
Slimedog- Well, Richard was one of those people who would’ve died if he hadn’t changed his ways. First song is “Love Comes In Spurts,” a song with tons of energy, plus naughty words and naughty notes galore.
Andy- Ya I’m not quite sure what he’s getting at with the spurts/hurts thing. Maybe a doctor might be in order. But it’s a catchy tune. The music kind of reminds me a bit of Bowie circa Diamond Dogs.
Slimedog- I love the line, “But it murders your heart, they didn’t tell you that part”- which seems to refer to parents reluctance to tell their kids the facts of life but they also don’t warn them of the potential heartbreak! Love the coo-coo guitar intro and the wild solo by one of my favorite guitarists, Bob Quine.
Andy- Seems like they may have also been a huge influence on Peter Dayton. (Boston punk singer of La Peste and Peter Dayton Band). They almost look alike.
Slimedog- Also, musically on the soon to come experimental punk music, art punk they called this band on Wiki. We can both think of Boston bands in the eighties, like The Dark and The Young Snakes, who sounded like this.
Andy- True. It also said that Dick was the first rock band to perform at CBGB’s.
Slimedog- Actually, it was his previous band Television where he was more the bass player then lead singer/songwriter. “Blank Generation” is the title song, that I, as well as most people, took it in a void, nihilistic manner while Richard claims it was meant to leave it open to interpretation, fill in the blank.
Andy- Non-intellectually speaking I’d say it probably goes well with lots of beer and quaaludes.
Slimedog- Interesting fact about the chord progression. It’s been used in countless songs such as “Hit The Road, Jack”, “The Passenger”, “House Of The Rising Sun”- it actually has a name like Scottish Madrigal Progression or Rabid Fruit Bat Rondo. Who says we move on to the next tune “Who Says? (It’s Good To Be Alive)”.
Andy- Ya I had to listen to “Who Says” a couple of times cause at first I thought I made a mistake and was listening to Little Richard. But then I realized I was listening to the tune backwards.
Slimedog- Quaaludes will do that to you. I hear a lot of Jerry Lee Lewis in Hell’s style. I always say punk is the true extension of fifties rock’n’roll. This song is full of nihilistic thoughts, including comparing happy people to drug addicts- “Users just can’t see the horror.” Dissonant guitar licks and odd turns abound.
Andy- Or what we used to call coo coo music.
Slimedog- Yeah, maybe I liked this record so much at the time because it spoke to my nihilistic ways then. (I’m trying to get into the Guinness Book of World Records for using that word). But I will say, I wasn’t alone in that feeling during that time and I almost didn’t survive it. I wouldn’t recommend that idea now to anyone. But “Down At The Rock N Roll Club,” is my favorite tune on the album. Totally captures the nightclub experience. It’s about CBGB’s, of course, but it could’ve been written about The Rat as well.
Andy- Yeah, I found it quite theatrical at times. Interesting tune.
Slimedog- “And you open the door and the noise shakes the floor…such a surge overload, the whole joint explodes.” describes opening the door of a nightclub, while a band is playing, and being hit with a rush of sound and volume, like a drug hitting you and you’re propelled into a strange and inviting world. I also love the line, “I say everybody’s waiting, I want moments like these. Oh, baby get me drunk I’ll go to my knees.”
Andy- He can sure turn a phrase. They just don’t make music like this anymore.
Slimedog- I also like how the voice and instruments all start at once, just like when you open that door. This song to me embodies excitement, raw lust, wildness and ecstatic abandon. This is an album with excellent musicians, great lyrics and songs perfectly reflecting the mood of those early punk times. It’s also great rock’n’roll.
Andy- It’s clear that Dick meant a lot to you both musically and lyrically. He certainly was a punk pioneer.
Slimedog- So next time it’s your pick. Are you still choosing The Carpenters, “Songs To Soothe Your Grandma To Sleep?”
Andy- I was thinking Simon & Garfunkle, but The Carpenters are good too. So many great folk duos to pick from. Be still my throbbing loins…
Slimedog- I hate to admit I really like some of Simon & Garfunkle songs! Perhaps I need more beer and quaaludes?
